Skip to main content

This SD card stores and stabilizes your video footage

virtualGimbal - Post-processing stabilizer / Test No.5
SD cards might be on the chopping block as their smaller siblings become the standard. But their usefulness is far from over if VirtualGimbal has a say in the matter.

Identical in design to your average SD card, the secret features of the VirtualGimbal hide within the unsuspecting frame. In addition to capturing whatever video you’re shooting, VirtualGimbal also captures the movement of your camera using an onboard gyroscope.

First seen at Maker Faire Tokyo, VirtualGimbal isn’t the first external means of recording camera movement to compensate for shake in post-production — the most notable device that comes to mind is the SteadXP — but it’s certainly the smallest and most innovative method of achieving stabilized footage we’ve seen.

Its creator, Yoshiaki Sato, explained the device to PetaPixel, saying “VirtualGimbal is a MicroSD-to-SD adapter that contains a 3-axis gyro sensor. It measures the angular velocities of camera while recording video, so users can stabilize videos after using the angular velocity data by PC.”

The main takeaway from his statement is the mention of data processing in post-production. Unlike in-camera stabilization, VirtualGimbal relies on a proprietary computer program to extrapolate the camera movement and digitally correct the shaky footage in post-production.

While many digital stabilization programs can be a bit fidgety, the example video above shows that VirtualGimbal gets the job done. Mr. Yoshiaki elaborated to PetaPixel that “users can adjust zoom [trimming] ratio and intensity of video stabilization while playing the video,” a key variable for times when you need to balance resolution with stabilization. Below is a video of the algorithm in action:

virtualGimbal - Post-processing stabilizer for DSLR. test2

Right now, VirtualGimbal is little more than a prototype. No release date or pricing information has been shared.

When it does come to market, though, it could prove to be a vital tool for anyone looking for stable footage without the need for heavy counterweights or intricate cameras and lenses.

Editors' Recommendations

Gannon Burgett
SD cards will transfer data at more than 600MB per second, thanks to UHS-III
uhs iii doubles sd card speed fujifilm x t2 cards

To meet the future demands of gigabit wireless communication, 360-degree cameras, and 8K video, the SD Association (SDA) announced a new UHS-III bus interface which will potentially double transfer rates over today’s fastest UHS-II cards. With a theoretical peak speed of 624 megabytes per second, UHS-III will bring the SD format to levels of performance previously only available in CFast 2.0 and XQD cards.

While there is little need for such performance today, UHS-III will ensure that the SD format remains relevant going forward. “SD memory card capabilities continue to expand, paving the way for new and highly anticipated imaging and video features, from virtual reality to 8K video,” SDA president Brian Kumagai said in a statement.

Read more
The Edge card stores all of your debit and credit accounts in a single physical card
1136159 autosave v1 rsz edge card

Carrying around a wallet overflowing with credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards you keep forgetting to use can be annoying. But EDGE Mobile Payments, a Santa Cruz-based technology startup, might just have the solution.

The Edge card, which the company announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, allows users to store multiple payment methods in a single card. But it's not your average magnetic debit card: It features an edge-to-edge touchscreen, biometric authentication sensors, and management features.

Read more
No more shaky footage: Imint's Vidhance software stabilizes video in real time
imint vidhance mwc 2017 0001

Unsteady hands are the bane of every smartphone videographer's existence. Optical image stabilization helps a bit, but unless your phone is secured to a gimbal or mount, capturing steady footage from your smartphone's sensor is a Sisyphean task. To help address this problem, Imint AB, a Swedish video technology company that writes and sells image-stabilization and analysis software for military drones, has developed algorithms that can smooth out shaky footage from virtually any phone.

At Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week, Imint will demo the latest release of Premium Video Stabilization, which stabilizes phone footage in real time and is part of the Vidhance software suite. One of the firm's side-by-side tests found that it scored 2.7 times better than the iPhone 7's built-in stabilization features and 43 percent better than the Google Pixel's electronic image stabilization (EIS). In "more challenging scenerios," it outperformed the iPhone 7 Plus by a factor of four.

Read more